Boat-plug.



` W. J. ADAMS.

- y BOAT- PLUG. APPLICATION FILEDJULY 16, 1913.'

. PatentedNov. 25, 1913.

JM iwf WILLIAM J. ADAMS, OF NEWTONVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS.

BOAT-PLUG.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 16, 1913.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

serial No. 779,295.

T0 all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Newtonville, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Boat-Plugs,of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in boat plugs of the self-actingtype and has for its object to provide a plug which will beautomatically closed immediately upon the touching of the water by theboat, when the same is launched, and remain closed until a certainamount of pressure is brought to bear upon the upper side of said plugor froln the interior 0f said boat after said boat has been removed fromthe water, thus permitting any water which may be deposited in said boateither by rain or otherwise to be discharged immediately.

The object of the invention is further to provide a device which willpermit dirt to be discharged therefrom without danger of clogging orrendering the device inoperative. j

Still another object of the invention is to provide means for holdingthe float in its closed position against its own weight or forpreventing said float from opening the discharge outlets of said deviceuntil a certain amount of water has collected in said boat.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of partswhereby the above objects and certain other objects hereinafterappearing may be attained, as set forth in the following specificationand particularly pointedV out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is a sectional elevation of a boatplug embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is an underneath plan view of thesame.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In the drawings, 3 represents a portion of the planking of the bottom ofa boat and 4c an opening extending therethrough. A casing 5 is formed intwo parts, 6 and 7, which are arranged at opposite ends of said openingand secured in proper relationthereto by screw-threaded maleand femalemembers 8 and 9 on said members 6 and 7, respectively, engaging eachother within said opening 1. The member 6 of said casing is preferablyarranged within the boat and is provided with a flange 10 which en gagesthe inner surface of the planking 3 and is prevented from beingunscrewed from the member 7 by screws 1l. The member 7 is also providedwith a flange 12 which lies adjacent to the outer surface of theplanking 3 about said hole 4, said liange 12 being permanently securedto the planking 3 by rivets 13, suitable packing 14 being interposedbetween the flange 12 and the outer surface of the planking 3 to preventwater from leaking therebetween.

One of the members of the casing 5, preferably the member 6, is providedwith a concaved seat 15 formed in the annular rib 16, while extendingfrom said seat through said member 6 to the interior of said boat arepassages 17 inclining downwardly into said casing. A iioat 18,preferably' constructed of cork to make it buoyant and spherical inshape, is arranged within the casing 5 and is adapted to be moved intocontact with said seat 15 and to iit said seat, whereby the inner endso-f said passages 17 will be completely covered and closed, and owing tothe slight resiliency of said lioat the entire opening 19 through saidannular rib 16 will be entirely closed.

The upper end of the portion 6 of the casing 5 is closed by a domeshaped end 20 forming a chamber 21 adjacent the rib 16 and for thepurpose hereinafter set forth. The lower end of the portion 7 of thecasing 5 is provided with an opening 22 which is larger in diameter thanthe float 18 ythereby permitting said float to drop somewhat below theend of said casing. A guard. 23 is arranged adjacent the lower end ofsaid casing 5 across the opening 22 for the purpose of retaining saidiioat within said casing. This guard is also hemispherically arrangedand secured to the flange 12 to act as a fender for the projectingportion 7 of said casing, preventing injury to said casing fromobstructions in the water, and of such a nature that all dirt whichhappens to be discharged from the interior of the boat through thepassages 17 into the casing 5 will not be in the least retarded, butwill pass out of said casing through the opening 22 and through theperforations formed in said guard.

l/Vhen the boat is in use and resting in the water, or as it is beinglaunched in the water, the float 18, which is of cork and especiallytreated to make the same waterproof, will be moved upwardly in thecasing 5 from the lower position illustrated in Fig.

1 to the upper position in said figure, and as said yboat settles to itsproper level the weight or pressure upon said float will be sufficientto firmly wedge the same against the seat 15 and slightly protrudethrough the opening 19 into the chamber 21. By the movement just statedthe float 18 will be tightly squeezed in place against said seat withthe result that a slight suction of the air in the chamber 21, createdby said squeezing movement, will retain said fioat in place against saidseat even though the water pressure from below is removed and in thisposition said float will remain until a suiiicient pressure of water hascollected within the boat to act through the passage 17 against theupper surface of said float, whereupon said float will be forceddownwardly against the guard 23. The slight suction above referred toprevents said float from rattling around when the boat, to which saiddevice is attached, is tossed about inV rough water producing anintermittent pressure upon said float from the exterior of said boat.

Although have shown and described a float constructed'of cork andtreated to resist the action of the water thereon, I do not wish tolimit myself to this particular material as any material having asuitable resiliency and adapted to resist the action of the water to acertain extent may be employed without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim and desire by LettersPatent to secure is:

1. A boat plug having, in combination, a casing open at one end, anannular rib disposed intermediate the ends of said casing, having a seatformed therein, said casing having a plurality of inclined passagesextending therethrough and terminating at said seat, a iioat arrangedwithin said casing adapted to be moved toward and away from said seat toopen and close said passages, and a guard arranged adjacent the open endof said casing adapted to retain said float in said casing.

2. A boat plug having, in combination, a casing provided with an openingat one end thereof and a plurality of passages extending therethroughadjacent the opposite end of said casing, an annular rib in said casinghaving a concaved seat at which said passages terminate, a fioatarranged in said casing adapted to be moved by the pressure of wateragainst the top or the bottom of said float to move the same toward andaway from said seat to open and close said passages, and means arrangedexteriorly of and adjacent the end of said casing adapted to retain saidfloat therein and to protect the outer end of said casing.

3. A boat plug having, in combination, a pair of flanged members, one ofsaid members having a' hollow screw-threaded female member, the other ofsaid members having a hollow screw-threaded male member adapted toengage said female member, an annular rib arranged within one of saidmembers and provided with a concaved seat with passages extending fromsaid seat to the exterior of said member, and a spherical iioat arrangedwithin said members adapted to be moved to open or close said'passage.

4. The combination with a boat provided with an opening in the bottomthereof of a casing formed in two parte, screw-threaded male and femalemembers on said parts respectively adapted to be united within saidopening and to draw said fianges against opposite faces of said boat, anannular rib in said casing provided with a concaved Seat with passagesextending therefrom outwardly to the exterior of said casing within saidboat, a spherical fioat arranged in said casing adapted to engage andfit said seat, said casing also having an opening extending from theinterior thereof to the exterior of said boat, and means to retain saidfioat within Said casing.

5. The combination with a boat having an opening in the bottom thereofof a casing secured within said opening and protruding therefrom intothe interior of said boat, said casing having an opening at the outerend thereof, an annular rib arranged within and substantially midway ofsaid casing having a concaved seat with passages extending from saidseat through said casing to the interior of said boat, a iioat adaptedto be moved to engage and fit said seat and to close said passages, saidcasing also having a chamber in the inner end thereof adapted to beclosed when said float is engaging said seat and to assist in retainingsaid ioat in contact with said seat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

VILLIAM J. ADAMS.

Vitnesses:

SYDNEY E. TAET, LEONARD A. POWELL.

vCopies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

